The Jesster's Façade
by Roymeo
Summary: Jesster isn't insane. She isn't, she swears, and it seems the only one who really believes her is her sworn enemy  A Robin/OC One Shot .


**A/N: This is a really random oneshot inspired by this picture here: http :/fc08 .deviantart. net/fs70 /f/2010/ 332/c/ f/jester _by_ ninjatic-d33toum. jpg (remove spaces, of course) Please, please, please review :)**

Lies.

All lies.

Everything that came out of his horribly twisted red mouth was a lie. He had never been truthful with me, not once. He never loved me, neither did she. They weren't like parents at all. Parents don't hit their children when they do things wrong. Parents care for their children. Parents are always there for their children. Mine did none of these things.

I suppose, that's what you get for having the Joker and Harley Quinn as parents. Or, rather, caretakers.

I can hardly stand being near them right now. They had just escaped from Arkham – I being the one to break them out, of course – and my thanks for helping out? Not a good one.

So that's why I'm sporting some nice and fresh bruises under my white and black greasepaint as I run and jump over rooftops, climbing up fire escapes and trying to get as far away from the warehouse as possible while still staying in Gotham. Robin was doing his rounds tonight, like every night, and maybe I'll...uh..._bump _into him. So what if I had a tiny crush on my enemy? Oh shut up.

Look at me, I really am crazy like those Arkham 'doctors' said. I'm talking to the voice I my head like I'm writing a book or something! Imagine _me, _waisting my time on something as stupid as that!

I stop for a breather on top of one of my favorite buildings: Wayne Tower. It was unbelievably tall and a pain in the ass to climb/grapple without getting noticed, but it had the best view of the city, which is just what the doctor ordered. Actually, I'm pretty sure if I did go see a doctor, they would prescribe an icepack, pain killers, and a straitjacket.

My blue eyes rake over the hundreds of buildings as my feet dangle over the edge. Is this dangerous? Uh, hell yeah. Am I afraid? Not really...Not anymore, anyways. When you live with the Joker, you learn to conquer any previous fears as quickly as possible. Something like this doesn't even faze me anymore.

"What are you doing up here?" a voice asks from behind me, and I freeze in my spot. Oh shit he really is here. "Hey, I'm talking to you, Jesster."

I swallow thickly, and put up my façade that I wear everywhere. People think that I'm naturally crazy, but I'm not. Jesster is crazy. Jessica, however, is as normal as can be. But nobody can know that, especially _not _Robin. "Don't you think I know that, Bird Brain? You see anyone else up here?"

He steps closer to me, and uses his wannabe-Batman voice. "You didn't answer my question."

"I like it up here; it's peaceful," I admit, still refusing to look at him. "Come here."

To my great surprise, the sidekick complies and comes to sit next to me. He sighs heavily and rubs his face, looking to the direction where Arkham Island stood proudly, half covered by shadows but still illuminated by the lighthouse on the port. Even if I was supposed to be a fearless villain, and I had been in there a bunch of times already, it still gave me the creeps to see it at night. Obviously, it had the same affect on the Boy Wonder. "You seem tired," I comment in a low voice while I leaned back on my palms, and I dare to turn my face towards him. He looks tired too.

"Two robberies, five muggings, and three attempted rapes," he answers, leaning back, too. "You know, I probably should be arresting you right now."

"I'll go willingly," I whisper. "If you do, that is."

His mouth drops open in shock. "Wha– you will?" I falter, but I can't tear my eyes away from his gaze. What the hell am I doing?

I know exactly what I'm doing, though. I'm about to tell my sworn enemy everything I had kept bottled up for the past four years. This would end disastrously, I just know it. But you know what? I don't even care anymore. "I'm sick of lying."

"L-lying about what?" he stutters, still in a slight state of shock.

"Do you really think I'm always this insane, Robin?"

"Well, no, but..." Bird Brain trails off, looking completely confused. Not even a moment later his eyes widen comically behind his mask and he points an accusing finger at me. "You just called me Robin!"

"That_ is _your name, isn't it?" I scoff, raising my dark eyebrows at him.

"Yeah, I just didn't know that you knew it..."

I let out a loud laugh that shocks the both of us, turning away to set my sights on Wayne Manor, looking as haunting as ever. "You don't think I know my own worst enemy's name? I'm hurt, Boy Blunder!"

"Ah see, there you go again with the nicknames!" Robin chuckles, shaking his head at me. "'Boy Blunder,' 'Bird Brain,' 'Sidekick,' 'Baby Bat,' where were those a second ago?"

"Those would be Jesster talking," I reply. "Jessica, however, simply refers to you as Robin."

"Oh really?"

I nod my head enthusiastically. "Really."

"What does this...Jessica think about me?" _What?_

Words spill out of my mouth before I could even think of stopping them. "She thinks you're pretty cool," I say, propping my head up on one arm and angling my body towards him. "Yeah, she talks about you all the time. She says that when you and I fight, she secretly roots for you every time. Jessica really admires your cause, and she wishes that I hadn't chosen the path I did, so she...we...I, could join you."

I instantly feel regret bubbling up inside my stomach like a bad burrito. Oh dear god, why did I ever open my mouth? Why can't I be mute? That would solve all of my problems!

"I think Jessica sounds pretty cool, too." My entire body freezes up and my blue eyes widen ten times their normal size. _Did he just..._

_Holy lord he did._

"You...you do?" I squeak pathetically.

"Mhm."

"Would you...like to meet her?" He nods, and I offer a small smile, before reaching into my sachel and pulling out a handkerchief and water bottle. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

I stumble to my feet, items clutched tight in my gloved hands. "Don't look," I warn as I walk away. Quickly twisting off the cap on the bottle, I pour some of it's contents onto the handkerchief. I begin to wipe my face clean of the makeup, revealing it's real skin tone with a large bruise running down my right cheekbone. Once I finish, I pull of my hat, which jingles, and drop it on the ground. I reach up behind my head and remove all the clips holding my hair up and muss it a little once it falls, reaching my shoulder blades.

Without my make up, I feel naked. Like my mask, my façade just melted away. For the first time in a while, I feel vulnerable, and afraid. I am afraid of what Robin will think of me. Will he laugh? Will he see my bruises and deem me too ugly to bear?

Despite my worries, I resume my previous spot facing him, cross-legged. "Okay," I sigh. "You can look now."

He turns and mimics my position, not saying anything for a while. My eyes squeeze shut in anticipation for the low blow, the insult that was sure to come...

Until I felt a hand on my cheek, the bruised one. I stare at him as he runs his gloved fingers over the spot repeatedly, his face screwed up to an expression somewhere between awe, anger, and confusion. "Who gave you this bruise?" he demands in a soft tone, but it was a demand nonetheless. When I don't answer, his face just becomes angry instead of a mix of other things. "Jessica..."

"Jesster got it this morning, from the Joker. He said that she was a failure for not breaking him and Harley Quinn out of Arkham sooner," I answer stonily, staring at a building over his shoulder. "Jessica got it for getting a bad grade on her report card. Her dad cares a lot about her grades, and he wasn't very happy with her when he found out."

_Silence. _"I'll kill him," he growls, jumping to his feet and stomping towards the edge of Wayne Tower, grapple gun in hand.

"No, wait!" I shout as I run after him, reaching out and pulling on the arm that held the gun. "Please! Don't hurt him!"

"Don't tell me you still like that monster after he hurt you like that!"

"I don't, I swear!" I held up my hands in defense. "But you can't kill Joker! What will Jesster do without her mentor? And me without my father? We'll both be lost!"

"No, no you wont," Robin assurs me, grabbing both of my hands in his own. "I'll tell Batman what happened, and he'll take you in. You'll be safe, Jesster will be safe!"

"If you kill Joker, than Jesster dies too, don't you understand? Robin, please, I'm begging you, don't do anything to him!" I rip my hands from his and wrap my arms around his waist as tightly as possible. Anything to get him to stay and not go after my living nightmare. Anything. "Please!"

"I can see it in your eyes, Jessica," Robin says softly as he holds me at arms length. I know I'm shaking like a leaf, but it's all in fear for his well-being. If he goes after Joker, then he'll surely die. Not even Batman can kill him. "You wont feel any loss at all if Jesster dies. You hate Jesster. You hate what you've become."

For the first time in years, I feel tears come to my eyes, and I shake my head repeatedly. "No, no I can't. I can't," I sob as Robin's hands slowly make their way from my arms up to my face and he cups it gently. "I can't."

"Yes, you _can._" His face was unbelievably close to mine by now, I noticed. My heartbeat quickens and I can feel my palms get sweatier, which hang uselessly at my side. I try desperately to control my tears, because I'm sure I look like hot mess up close, but Robin doesn't seem to care. His kevlar-covered thumbs gently wipe away the waterworks and he offers a shaky smile at my deer-in-headlights look.

And suddenly, he kisses me. My eyelids flutter close on their own accord and I find myself slowly and sluggishly responding to his actions, my hands drifting upward to grip at the front of his uniform. I pull him in closer and deepen the kiss. His mouth is so warm, I note with a slight grin, and he tastes _so_ good, like...hot chocolate.

Unfortunately, we need air to survive, and we are forced to pull our lips apart at the last possible second. We turn away like two shy, lovestruck teenagers – which wasn't too far from the truth – and stare out at the black sky silently. "Sorry," Robin finally says.

"Why are you sorry?"

"The k...that was completely out of line," he mutters, and I could see his face getting redder by the second.

"Well, I rather enjoyed it, I don't know about you," I reply. "And it wasn't entirely your fault either. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango."

"Yeah, well I shouldn't have initiated it!" he sighs, fists clenching at his sides. What was that supposed to mean?

"I still don't see why you're sorry...Do you regret it, honestly?"

"Honestly?" he repeats. I nod once I see him looking out of the corner of his eye. He sighs, "Honestly no, I don't."

"Are you sure?"

He nods, and turns his head to look at me. "Why?"

"Because now, I can do this," I begin. "Without feeling awkward." Robin stumbles back as I jump forward and crash my lips to his again, locking my arms around his neck. He began to kiss back with just as much force while his hands drifted to my hips. I run my fingers through his hair a couple of times before I break away, and plant my feet firmly on the ground.

"That was...whelming," Robin pants.

"Oh I know." My watch beeps from my satchel, and I check the time. "3 AM, I better get going."

"That's it, you're just going to leave?" he asks, as I go to retrieve the items I had dropped.

"Uh...pretty much, yeah. Why?"

Suddenly, Robin frowns and presses a finger to his ear, where he must have a com link with Batman set up. "Yeah?" he begins. "I'm at Wayne Tower. I...uh, thought I saw someone up there while doing my rounds. Nobody's hear except for me, though. Yeah, I know, I know...Another robbery? Ugh, I'll meet you there."

When he had finished, I had already pinned my hair up and my jester cap was set in place. Too bad I didn't really carry anymore greasepaint with me, or I would revert right back to Jesster. "I've got to go," he confesses, looking away.

I snort unattractively and close the distance between us with a light kiss. "Can't keep Batman waiting, right?"

He shrugs, "Yup...When do you think I'll see you again?"

"I have a feeling you'll be seeing Jesster sooner than you'd like, but how about we meet here in two days at this same time? We'll do the same thing over again, maybe with less drama and tears," I smile, holding tight to his hand and walking with him to the edge of the tower.

"That would be asterous, Jess," he grins, rubbing the back of his neck and letting go of my hand to pull out his grapple gun. "So...see you Monday?"

I roll my eyes at his made up word, but smile and nod nonetheless. "Same time, same place." And with one final salute and his signature cackle, Robin disappeared into the dark night, leaving me standing on the rooftop, alone and without my façade to comfort me.

But, I realize, not being Jesster for a while longer is okay with me.

**A/N: That fancy button down there really would like it if you'd review...**


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